I had a wonderful birthday. It was a wonderful one in the truest sense of the word in that I was continually stopping and thinking about how cool it was that I was being celebrated by people that knew me. There’s something telling in that part of our society, I think. I’m not sure what it tells, but it is very cool, to me.

One of my best friends growing up (and still, despite great distance) sent me an email yesterday that kind of blew me away. I’ve included an excerpt below so you can see how awesome my friends are. Yeah, this email kind of made me speak softly for a couple of minutes and miss my childhood.

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Nerf Wars: History has seen the rise and fall of armies who put less thought and planning into their campaigns than we did when scheming as to when we would hide, where we would take cover, and how we would assault the Barnes Canoe Fortress or the Sanctuary of Holy Baptismal Bunker. Our armament, whilst initially meek, evolved into weapons so fearsome as to have caused Roman Legionnaires pause at the thought of advancing within their range; of note, a Triple Strike, Big Bad Bow, Supermaxx 1500, and Supermaxx 3000 that propelled plastic and foam (and occasionally metal) at velocities that would’ve made safety-minded engineers cringe. With this armament, we fought with valor and squeals of mirth in the shade of skies darkened by raining darts and arrows; many of which still lie in dark shadows and thick bushes as a silent testament to the battles that were fought nearby. We were Nerf Warriors once, and young.

Back Bay Bike Rides: Of the many traumatic events that childhood brings, none likely hold a candle to the casual observation of our mothers faces following our arrival from a successful voyage into the Back Bay Swamp. As often as not, our two-wheeled ATVs would bear testament to the grim journey we had made, with oily black mud in various stages of solidification clinging to our tires, frames, and handlebars. Likewise, our adventurers outfits would be then and forever transformed by the muck through which we waded, as would our expert choice of footwear selected for it’s otherwise clean appearance and ability to track mud across carpet. Yes, these expeditions were filled with adventure, bravery, jubilation; our bravery was tested in those moments when we had to confront our greatest fears; namely returning home and being seen by our parents, and occasionally while fleeing from free-roaming wolf-dogs.

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Randall put together a really cool video (with the help of a few others) that I’ll try to obtain and post here. It and this email really punctuated the ongoing wonder of the day.